‘Can I come over tomorrow night and get the hot goss on Jez Winter?’

‘No. I’ve just started a new story and I don’t want any interruptions.’

‘I bet you’ll be seeing him again.’

‘I won’t, actually. Bye.’ She slammed the phone down and started getting ready for bed. It rang twice more, calls from girlfriends she’d known since school, but she didn’t feel like speaking to them or anyone else, so let the answering service take care of it.

She had trouble getting to sleep, kept wondering if she’d heard an intruder. She’d definitely have to get a security system installed now. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford one, she just hadn’t wanted the disruption to her daily life that installing it would bring.

Admitting that the encounter with the pushy journalists had spooked her, she got up and shoved a chair behind the door. Feeling safer, she fell asleep, but dreamed of Jez Winter, seeing again how sad he was. In the dreams she put her arms round him and gave him a good hug, as you would an unhappy child.

Honestly, how stupid could dreams get? As if he’d want her to hug him. As if she’d even see him or hear from him again.

Jez was in his new hotel suite when the TV news came on. He was about to switch it off but heard his own name and stared in horror at the screen. Sophie had opened the door again and been cornered by those sods. She looked terrified, poor thing. Why had she not checked who was outside?

He remembered her transparently honest face. She probably didn’t understand how the gutter press could hound you. Oh, hell, this was all his fault! He should have followed his instincts and gone back to make sure she was all right. Those devils wouldn’t stop bugging her for days now. What a sorry return she’d got for helping him.

Kevin, who was on duty tonight, came in from the other bedroom. ‘Seen it?’

‘Yes.’ Jez waved one hand at the screen. ‘We have to help her out, make sure it doesn’t happen again.’

‘She’ll probably be glad of the publicity, sell a lot more books.’

‘She’s not like that.’

Kevin made a rude noise. ‘Of course she is.’

‘No, this one isn’t. She’s – otherworldly, naive even.’

Kevin screwed up his face in thought. ‘She’s certainly not with it as far as clothes are concerned and she needs to lose quite a bit of weight. You’d think her publicist would have told her that.’

Jez was surprised by this comment. ‘I don’t think she’s overweight. She’s just right. I’m tired of scrawny women who live on salads and bottled water. It’s like cuddling a bag of bones, making love to them. And your wife isn’t all that skinny, Kev.’

‘My wife isn’t a celebrity, thank goodness.’ He studied Jez. ‘Do you fancy this Carr woman?’

‘We’ve only met once, for heaven’s sake. I just … like her … very much. And she was kind to me. So I owe her.’